[citation needed] Originally known as "Science Hall"[1] it was renamed in 2003 to honor the passing of former USC president and professor of geology, James Zumberge.

Today, ZHS is home to USC's department of Earth Sciences as well as the Southern California Earthquake Center.

Romanesque detailing includes cast stone pendants below the roofline and cast-stone gargoyles at the building's corners.

[citation needed] In the building's arcade is a mural depicting four youths in scientific contemplation, a Masters in Fine Arts project by Jean Goodwin Ames under the direction of Glen Lukens in 1937.

Ames is notable for many murals she created with her husband for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression.